2019 First Quarter Report

We turn in a quarterly report to Stoller Foundation as part of our grant to update them on our ministry and the work we did that quarter. We decided that we would keep our website updated with the highlights from that report, too. That way anyone interested in Freestyle Ministries and FRUIT. magazine can see all of the great work we did this quarter.

Highlights From This Quarter

Photos from this quarter

Photo 1: This is artwork submitted to us this quarter. Love how she is learning about redemption.

Photo 2: This is another piece of artwork we received this quarter. Too beautiful not to share!

Photo 3: This photo is of Tera with one of the many Christian rappers we met with during SXSW, Dee-1. We went to share our mission and vision in hopes of rallying support from the more well-known Christian Hip Hop artists in hopes of them sponsoring some youth and also hopefully encouraging their fans to support. We are working on setting up a future interview with Dee-1 for the magazine as well.

Beneficiaries By The Number

27 facilities receive the magazine

8,500 at risk youth receive the magazine where the Gospel is shared with them

We directly shared the gospel with 85 youth

We had a total of 138 volunteers

We had 19 individual donors and 5 organizational donors

5 students informed us of their decision to follow Christ and received resources to help start their journey

How was the Gospel shared?

During this quarter we shared the gospel through a special page in FRUIT. magazine, which is accompanied by a response card. We send those who respond a new believers devotional, letter, and certificate. We also presented the Gospel during our FRUIT. Magazine Club.

We were scheduled to do a FRUIT. Release Outreach at Harris County’s JJC and would have presented the Gospel there, but the county postponed it due to them doing construction in the Gym.

Share two testimonies about a life impacted by your ministry

TESTIMONY 1: FRUIT. Magazine Club

During our FRUIT. Magazine Club we saw the power of testimonies from the magazine to help our girls find a voice and see a way out of situations they previously felt “stuck” in. We met with a group of 24 girls and read the feature article of Issue 18, “Christina’s Story.” Christina is a young girl who had a trauma-filled childhood and found herself without the support of family while working and living with a boyfriend and his family. This boyfriend became increasingly more controlling and violent. She was very transparent about her feelings during this time and how she allowed it to continue and struggled to find a way out of the relationship. After one night when he almost strangled her to death in front of their infant child she finally found a way out. She explained the long process of letting him go and working hard to work her way up in a fast food chain to be able to afford her own apartment and daycare for her little girl. She is now doing amazing.

What was awesome for me was to see a group of restless girls become silent and literally lean in to the page as we read her story. You could feel the wheels turning. Afterward they shared how brave she was and then we went around the room as at least 15 of the girls shared about having been in (Many currently still in) relationships with boys / men who treated them in ways that were just unbelievable. One girl shared “My boyfriend (current) is the reason I have seizures now because he beat me so bad.” She has his name tattooed above her eyebrow. We were able to use Christina as an example of how they can get out and that they deserve so much better. We discussed God’s love as opposed to what they have experienced as “love.” We were able to speak over them the truth of their worth as creations of God – loved and that God has plans for them that do NOT include being treated like that. We discussed ways they can begin to end those relationships now and plan for the future. We have also added them to our prayer list.

TESTIMONY 2: 2 Letters

My name is (redacted). I sent a couple of pictures to y’all for a while. Thank you for praying for me, it helped me, I truly gave my life to God. I feel very happy every time I look at my drawing in the FRUIT. magazine 18. I am going to draw Austin Lanier and a couple of others to show my skills. When I read the quotes from the other inmates I see what they go or went through is just like mine and I know that I am not the only one. I been in the juvenile system for 12 months. I know how it feels for my family to leave me and for people to get me into all types of trouble. Only one person has wrote me since I’ve been locked up. She is a true friend – so actually everybody I said was my friend they actually are not. She was the only person who cares about me. Thank you for all y’all guys did. They are going to send me to CPS because my family does not even want me back in the house for what I did to make my family disappointed at me. Trust me, I regret what I did. I wish I could change it.

Your Friend,(redacted)

Freestyle Ministries,

My name is (redacted) I am 16 years old. As of now I am locked away for a homicide currently facing 25 years because of my pride. I won’t tell my half of the story and fight for my freedom for I have done to harm in my case. I would like to share a little about myself. It seems every 5 years in my life I’ve had horrific things happen to me (in my eyes). Around the age of 5 I was in CPS for the second time and was on the verge of adoption but at the age of 10 I tried to commit suicide by knife yet, I was stopped as the tool was mere moments away from claiming my life and I attacked the person who suppressed my attempt and sliced her thumb to where she needed 16 stitches. Then at 14 years old I was put into my situation now as a 18 year old on his way to college was killed in the act of violence and I wasn’t able to help he. As I’ve tried a “friend” of mine decided to “fire into a crowd” I tried to suppress his motive yet my selfishness took ahold of me and I picked my life before theirs. Here I am now writing to you al at the ministry. I’m going to turn my life around. I’ve learned to , “suppress the savage” and to always so less than is necessary. It helped so far so I’ll continue to use it. I ask all of you at Freestyle Ministries for help and physical guidance on my path to success.

Love & Respect(redacted)

P.S. Not sure if this will be read but it feels my conscience with tremendous joy to finally be able to express myself. Excuse my spelling if you may.

We wrote back both of these young men to assure them we are praying for them and to encourage them on their path to deal with what has passed and to give them hope for the future through God’s ability to redeem and use them for good.